Jim was born and raised in the Burncoat neighborhood of Worcester. The values he learned from his friends and family are the same ones he fights for every day in Congress: fairness, decency, respect for all people, and the idea that each of us has an obligation to give back to our community. Jim’s parents, Walter and Mindy, own a small package store in Worcester, and his sisters are both public school teachers. He is married to Lisa Murray McGovern and they have two children, Patrick and Molly.
Jim comes from a family of small business owners. Growing up in Worcester, Jim saw firsthand the challenges his parents faced owning their own small businesses, and the tremendous rewards that come from entrepreneurship. Jim’s top priority in Congress is fighting for a healthy and growing economy so that all our families have the chance to get ahead and stay ahead.
Over the past three decades, even as our economy has grown, household incomes have stagnated. In neighborhoods where hardworking families were once able to reach the middle class and give their kids a better life, parents now struggle just to make ends meet.
Jim knows that economic growth must mean growth for everyone – not just those at the top. He believes that the measure of our success must be how much incomes rise for working families. To do this, Jim has co-sponsored legislation in Congress to ensure a living wage for all working families instead of tax breaks for those at the top. Jim has also co-sponsored legislation like the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, which would level the playing field between small businesses and large corporations that take advantage of tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share.
Jim believes that we must invest in our economy to ensure that everyone in Massachusetts can find a good-paying job. This means investing in our local infrastructure to ensure that businesses have the tools they need to grow and thrive. It also means investing in our workforce to ensure that workers have the training and education they need to succeed in the 21st Century economy.
Finally, Jim remains focused on helping our small businesses grow and succeed. Jim has helped dozens of innovative small businesses thrive in Central and Western Massachusetts, including companies that produce solar panels, high-energy lasers, fuel cells, medical devices, and high-tech prosthetics for returning soldiers. Jim has also voted to provide tax relief and incentives for small businesses – and to reduce unnecessary red tape that many small businesses find to be a major challenge.